


Breaking and Entering

by W4nderingStar



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bickering, Feels, Foul Language, It's Time, Language, M/M, Nudity, Sass, because hey, i don't know how to tag, i just wrote 20k words of them without sexy times so you know, if you want to know what happens, just look at the rating I mean come on! It's mature for a reason., like i said before, sassyness, sort of anyways..., the old dads taking a break, working on your undead relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-26 17:04:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7582540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/W4nderingStar/pseuds/W4nderingStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Gabe take the closest thing they can to a vacation. (Sort of)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alternatively titled WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS?
> 
> For anyone who hasn't read A Dead Man and his Angel of Death, this will make a LOT more since if you read http://archiveofourown.org/works/7277383/chapters/16525585 first. But you don't have to.  
> Bullet points if you haven't:  
> Gabe and Jack are together again  
> Gabe can bring others with him when he "ghosts" or goes into wraith form. 
> 
> I know I'm a jerk for cutting this in half, but I'm really, really tired from comic con and I just need some rest! Also... more editing time. This is a shameless ploy to get some more editing time. I'm sorry. I am trash. 
> 
> Enjoy.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” Jack shot as they left the cover of trees reached the perimeter fence.

Gabe stopped and looked over his shoulder. “What?”

“Where the hell are you taking me?” Jack repeated.

“Going to lay low.”

“We’re breaking and entering to lay low?”

Gabe held out his hand. “Not breaking anything.”

The barrel of Jack’s rifle dropped down in an ark to his side as he let go with one hand and took Gabe’s. They broke down into thick, black smoke that wove through the chain-link, over the less subtle stone wall and into the dark complex of bungalows and swimming pools. Gabe twisted and swerved until he found the largest one, set well apart from the rest. No lights on. Good.

When they materialized in front of the cabin door, Gabe only swayed on his feet for a moment before the dizzy feeling passed. It was getting easier to ghost with Jack. The old soldier put the wall to his back as the rifle came back up.

“Easy,” Gabe said, pushing his mask up. “No one home.”

“Where are we?”

Gabe dissipated back into smoke, worming his way through the cracks in the door to the other side. He flicked open the locks with a claw and opened the door. “The presidential suite of Casa del Sol,” he said with a grin. “One of the expensive resorts in México.”

“Why are we here?” Jack said, not budging from his spot.

“Laying low,” Gabe said. “I told you.”

“This isn’t laying low.”

“Not if we stand in the doorway talking all night.”

“Gabriel this is breaking and entering,” Jack hissed.

“Boy scout,” Gabe needled. “No one’s here.”

“And if someone catches us? Talon will be all over our asses.”

“Then get in here and make sure they don’t find us.” No matter what Jack said, how tough “Soldier Seventy-Six” talked, he was a boy scout at heart. Never mind that they of all people were owed this. Gabe remembered pretty well that the world was short on thanks after the Omnic Crisis. So he was going to take a little for himself. “Where else are we going to go?” he asked, playing to Jack’s practicality. “There’s nothing but jungle for miles.”

“Fine,” the soldier said, taking one last glance around the compound before stepping in.

Gabe closed the door, locking it, throwing the deadbolt. “Close all the blinds,” he ordered.

“Why?”

“Never squatted before? A sure fire way to get noticed is a light on in a place where there shouldn’t be.” Gabe pushed back his hood, took off his mask and tucked it in his belts.

“I should be in a secure location,” Jack said, holstering his rifle. “That data needs to be—”

“The data can wait. We need to make sure you aren’t found.” He closed the blinds. “What good will it do you if it’s destroyed? Would you just relax?”

If anything, Jack squared his shoulders and tensed up. “Holing up in a bombed out house is one thing, but this….” He glanced at the dimly lit room.

It was nearly as large as a formal conference hall back in the glory days of Overwatch. There were several halls branching off into other rooms. The main living area was floored with handsome, imported wood and decorated with vibrantly colored rugs. A half dozen tables boasted sculptures or vases filled with fresh flowers. There were several chairs arranged facing each other for late night talks over cigars and brandy. Speaking of, there was a very handsomely stocked sideboard left open so a dazzling array of bottles could be seen, just begging to be sampled.

“This is more like it,” Gabe said, walking over to the bar and running his claw over the labels.

“This is stealing,” Jack said, all rigidly moral.

Gabe rolled his eyes as he slid a bottle of golden tequila out of the bar. “You saved the world and died in the line of duty. I think you can afford to have some fun in the afterlife.” He twisted the cap off and sniffed. Oh yes, this was the good stuff.

“Done this before?” Jack asked.

He looked over his shoulder, putting the cap back on. “When I was a kid,” Gabe said.

“Often?”

He brought the bottle over to his partner. “You want my juvie records?”

Jack shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want.”

“Good.” He pushed the bottle into Jack’s hands. “We’ll be out before dawn when the maids come, so stop clenching so hard. I can hear your asshole squeaking shut.”

Jack set the bottle on a desk, ignoring it like a good all-American military man should while on duty.

Gabe rolled his eyes again. “If you want, go crawl around the forest. Maybe you can sleep in a branch after you’ve climbed a fucking tree. Maybe the bugs and snakes won’t get under all that armor while you don’t sleep because you have to keep a look out. Me? I’m finding myself a good bottle of something strong, and then I’m going to see if this suite has a private pool.” It was the little things in the afterlife that made an all-consuming vendetta worthwhile.

“But we’re not taking anything.”

“There’s going to be a few empty bottles of something. Nothing that will be missed.”

Finally, Jack’s shoulders slumped into a comfortable angle. “My back is killing me.”

“Then stop landing on it when you take a punch,” Gabe said, sweeping off to find the kitchen. Maybe they’d have something better chilled already.

It didn’t take him long to find the right hall. The kitchen was easily restaurant sized, with industrial stoves, a walk in freezer, fully stocked pantry and a temperature controlled wine room.

“That’s more like it,” Gabe said, letting himself inside for a look around.

Bottles in half a dozen languages lined the walls, each with handwritten labels. No cheap liquor-store crap here. Now this is what the heroes of the Omnic Crisis deserved. He glanced over a ridiculous amount of French labels—Amélie, for all her deadened emotions, would probably swoon if she saw them—and found some in Spanish.

“There you are.” He pulled out a dark red bottle. Mmm, sangria. Hell yeah. And probably better than most of the country had ever dreamed of. Perfect. _“Muchas gracias señor Presidente,”_ he said, grabbing a second bottle, a pair of glasses and let himself back out.

Back in the main room, he found Jack at a desk, messing with a computer terminal. The hacking device was hooked up to it. Only Morrison would work on a vacation.

“Let me guess, encrypted?” Gabe set the bottles down and pulled off his gauntlets.

“I’ve got a few things working on it,” Jack said, not even bothering to turn around.

“Going to be a few hours.” The gauntlets thumped onto a chair as Gabe unbuckled his belts. “Staring at it isn’t going to make it go faster.”

“Maybe I can—” Jack finally turned around as Gabe stripped off his coat. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like, _estúpido?_ ” He draped the coat and hood over the back of the chair and unbuckled the back strap on his Kevlar suit. He peeled the form fitting top off and tossed it on the rest of the pile.

“It looks like you’re getting undressed.”

“Morrison, you positively shatter the blond stereotype.”

“Why?”

Gabe grinned. “Pool.”

“But you don’t have a suit.”

“Don’t I?” He knelt, undoing the silver latches on his boots and kicked them off.

“No!” Jack snapped. He almost sounded scandalized. “Gabriel be serious!”

“Oh I’m serious.” He unzipped and pulled off the Kevlar impregnated leg armor, kicking it along the floor. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his neck. Damn it felt good to be out of all that armor. The warm, tropical air against his cold skin refreshed him. “Now,” he said, scooping up the wine glasses and bottles, holding them between his fingers. “These pretty reds and I are going to enjoy ourselves. You can join us if you like.”

Before Jack could say anything, Gabe left the room. If he wanted to sit in a corner with a computer all night, so be it. Gabe couldn’t even remember the last night off he’d had. Pre or post death. He wasn’t about to waste an opportunity. He opened the French doors and let himself outside.

The private patio was more oasis than patio. There was a garden, fountain, a Jacuzzi, a small lake that was trying to pass itself off as a pool and then the mighty Pacific herself.

“Rich people,” Gabe muttered. Only they would build a fucking pool next to the ocean. He placed the sangria and glasses on a table under a cabana and went poolside.

For a moment, he wondered if he’d dissolve like smoke in a rainstorm. He pushed the thought aside. He was still human. Or at least, enough of a percentage that water wouldn’t bother him. But he wasn’t about to try ghosting while he was in there. He dove in.

The world quieted. All background noise ceased in an instant. It was just him, and the water cascading by his ears. It was cold, but then, so was he. He surfaced, blowing out a breath before plunging into a vigorous freestyle stroke. The water slid by him, easing away the aches and pains that had stubbornly lodged themselves into joints and muscles. Diving under the surface, he did a tuck-roll, feet landing on the wall of the pool, allowing him to kick off and start back the other way. He surfaced again, letting his momentum carry him back to his entry point.

Swimming was fine, but sangria was better. He coasted to a stop, putting his hands on the lip of the pool and looked up. Jack stood between him and the wine. Gabe crossed his arms and put his chin on them. Jack hadn’t so much as taken off that stupid, beat-up jacket.

“Leather isn’t going to do well in water,” he said, pushing himself up and out. He got his feet under him and stood, water trickling down his scarred body.

The old soldier didn’t say anything, just kept staring. Probably at what Gabe had become. Long ago he'd given up being self conscious about his looks. But in front of the one man that knew him best... the itch to put back on the layers and layers of armor was intense. Underneath all the Kevlar he was invulnerable. Behind the mask, he could hide the monster. Naked, all his baggage was laid out in scars, stab wounds, and the huge “Y” laceration from his shoulders to his navel. Jack said nothing. No doubt too horrified to speak. Gabe's scars weren't trophy pieces to be show off. They were pieces cut out of him while something else was stuffed back inside and sewn shut.

He hated Jack's damn mask. He liked being the one observing from behind an unreadable wall, not the one being watched on the other side. Jack handed him a corkscrew.

“Kinda hard to break into a wine bottle without one,” he said, silence of the subject of scars.

Gabe let out a half-grunt, half-chuckle. “You know, the boy scout thing, I had no idea it was literal.”

“Shut up,” Jack scoffed, shoving the tool at him.

Gabe picked up the first bottle, deftly uncorking it. He pulled the cork off the screw with his teeth. He glanced at Jack up and down. That wasn't going to do at all. “If you want some—” He spat the cork out. “Lose the jacket.”

“Not the mask?” Jack asked, tilting his head ever so slightly.

Grinning, Gabe poured a liberal amount of rich-crimson into one of the glasses. “The sangria will do that for me.”

Jack unbelted the bottom strap, unzipped the jacket, and slowly shrugged out of it. “Happy?”

“I will be.” Gabe passed over the glass, pouring himself the other. The skin-tight under armor accented Jack’s torso nicely. “Black looks good on you.”

Jack took the glass. “Don’t remember you being a wine guy.”

“Everything has an occasion,” Gabe said with a shrug. “Whiskey for fighting, taquilla for fun, beer with friends. Sangria, that’s for something special.”

“Like squatting in a nice resort?”

“You’re learning.” Gabe took a sip. The velvety liquid caressed his lips and tongue like a silken lover. He swallowed, letting it warm his insides. He tipped the glass toward the mask.

Jack reached up, unlatching the red and black visor, tucking it into his pocket. Gabe smiled as Soldier Seventy-Six was finally put away and Jack Morrison was allowed to relax. The dominant scar slashed across his brow and cheek did little to detract from his handsome features. Even the white hair was alluring. The scar on his lips only brought Gabe’s attention to them. Leave it to Morrison to age like a fine wine while Gabe shifted from wraith to corpse depending on when he last reaped.

Jack sniffed his glass and took a sip. “Sweeter than I thought reds were supposed to be.”

“It’s sangria, it’s supposed to be.”

“Gabriel Reyes has a sweet tooth?”

“I’m full of surprises.”

Jack took another sip. Gabe picked up the bottles and carried them away, toward the jacuzzi. A casual touch on the control pad started it up. Bubbles softly burbbled and steam wafted up into the night. Exactly what he needed. Gabe walked down the stairs, letting the hot water slosh up over his hips. God yeah, heat was what he needed. Setting the wine and his glass on the lip beside the hot tub, he sat, sinking down to his chin.

One of the jets caressed his stiff lower back, massaging it until it didn't hurt anymore. The normal chill that hung over him like a pal was chased off. He almost felt human again. With a sigh, he put his elbows up on the rim of the tub and let his head fall back.

“That good?” Jack asked over him.

Gabe cracked an eye open to see a still disappointedly clothed Jack standing just behind his shoulders. “Better,” Gabe said, closing his eyes again. “All the aches and pains just float away.” When was the last time either of them had a chance to let their bodies decompress? Gabe had at least escaped the vast majority of bullets that flew his way. Jack had to be aching down to his bones. Smiling, Gabe chuckled. “I can turn it down if it's too hot for you, old man.”

“Last time I checked, we're the same age,” Jack said, sitting on one of the lounge chairs.

“Yeah, but your age is showing worse than mine.” Gabe took his glass and sipped, letting the heat and the alcohol paint a very convincing illusion of normality. He decided to believe it for a while.

Jack reached for the bottle, but Gabe put a hand on them both.

“Boots.”

“I could just go back and get one of my own.”

“Or, you could take the easy way and not have to get up.”

Wisely, Jack started unbuckling the combat boots. One at a time, he undid the heavy latches and pulled them off. Only once all ten toes were free did Gabe allow him to take the bottle and refill his glass.

“Seems Jack Morrison also has a sweet tooth.”

“I'd say so. I dated you, sweetheart.”

“I ain't sweet,” Gabe grumbled.

Jack scoffed. “I seem to remember different.” He took a sip of wine.

In his younger years, Gabe would deny that with tooth and nail, and perhaps a few punches. It was an image thing. But with age came the knowledge that youth was fucking stupid. “Maybe a little.” What was the point fighting how people perceived you? They were going to think what they wanted and there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it. He let himself slip down, until the water lapped at his neck. “If you're not getting in be useful and turn up the heat,” he said, without bothering to open his eyes. Jack could get in or not. It didn't concern him. He was enjoying himself and that's all that mattered.

When Jack came back for a third glass Gabe opened his eyes. “Shirt or pants. Your choice.”

Jack pulled off his under armor and tossed it onto the back of the lounge chair. Gabe turned to pour himself the last of the first bottle before Jack had the whole thing himself. Before he could help it, his eyes roved Jack's naked torso.

Not long ago, Jack had been just as naked, but battered, bloodied, with more stiches in him then braincells. At the time, Gabe had been too busy patching him up, holding him down, or getting kicked in the head to notice more than where Jack had busted open a stitch that need to be closed. With him up and healed, Gabe allowed himself a good appraisal.

Back when he was first recruited, Jack had been very much a poster boy. Perfect hair, perfect body. But life happened. The once classical facade was gone. There were at least ten bullet scars puckering the flesh of his chest, hastily patched and hastily forgotten. A couple stab wounds with long, raised scars in his shoulders. Red and bubbled patches of skin cut through thick swaths of his side and abdomen. A few hundred small lacerations scared everything with a haphazard lack of pattern. Burns and shrapnel from the blast that killed them both. Jack rubbed his arms. His big hands were just as abused as the rest of him. The knuckles were uneven, his palms heavily callused. Neither of them were winning any medals for beauty.

“You keep staring,” Jack said, without looking at him.

“For a blind man you see far too much.”

“I feel your eyes on me and your breathing slows when you're thinking.” He turned to face him. “I look that bad?”

“Opposite.”

“You don't look so bad yourself.”

Gabe shook his head, draining the rest of his drink and opening the next bottle. “Your visor must have been broken earlier.” There was nothing right about his body anymore. It was gray, prone to dissolving into smoke if he wasn't careful, and without the right intake of energy, it started to decay.

Jack said nothing. He'd always been a shit liar. Gabe leaned his head back against the wall of the pool, listening to the bubbles. This wasn't the kind of reunion with his ex he wanted. He had nothing to show for his years of revenge but a tail of bodies. Plus, it was hard to expect Jack to fantasize about him when his body was solid one minute then rotting the next.

The sound of a zipper made Gabe grin. “It's about damn time.”

Kevlar impregnated leg armor hit the floor and there was a wave rippling through the water. Gabe cracked an eye open to watch the very long, very well muscled legs descend into the hot water. Sure Jack wasn't winning any beauty pageants, but damn if he wasn't cut, not a drop of fat on him. Just steel muscle and iron skin. Gabe had no problems fantasizing. Jack was what you wanted to be around an old flame. Handsome, in shape, perfect. Leave it to Morrison to give age the middle finger without trying.

Jack slumped into the water, sitting across the small space from him, and let his head fall back.

“Oh... yeah....” he mumbled.

“Next time, just listen to me the first time would you?” Gabe said.

They sat in silence for a while. Nothing but the soft murmuring of bubbles against their backs breaking the quiet of the night. Gabe swirled his sangria, watching the dark liquid cascade and flow like smoke. He snorted. Everything was smoke with him now. He drained the glass again when he should have savored it. He was in the middle of pouring himself more when Jack broke the silence.

“Does alcohol do more for you than food?” he asked.

“No.” Yet another side effect of his curse. “Body burns it up faster than I can drink it.”

“Can you still taste it?”

Gabe considered. “More or less. Just has an ashy taste to it.”

“So then you have no idea how very good it feels? Shame.”

“Jackass,” he sneered. “You don't have to rub it in my face. But after three, I can imagine. When was the last time you took a night off?”

Jack smirked, closing his eyes. “Just took one a few months ago. About a week laying around on my ass.”

“Don't forget bleeding everywhere,” Gabe reminded him. “You laid around bleeding everywhere.”

“And you think I don't know how to have a good time.”

Chuckling, Gabe leaned his head back to look up at the stars. “Funny.”

“What is?”

“What we would have given to have a night together in a hot tub years ago.”

“I think we would have started lopping off body parts if it was asked,” Jack said. “Maybe tossed in McCree for good measure.”

“Now here we are, and all I'm thinking about is what I would be giving up to go back to those days.”

Jack lifted his glass. “Well, we got our night. I say it's long overdue for price paid.”

Fucking Morrison, making the best of things, and making Gabe do it to. He lifted his glass and leaned in, toasting. “To past us. Fuck you. You should have read the fine print on that wish.”

Jack chuckled. They toasted and sipped in silence. Jack would be cursing his past self in the morning at the rate he was going. Unless they worked off the alcohol that was. Gabe smiled ruthlessly. He could go right on dreaming that one.

“Gabe?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“When have you ever had to ask permission?”

“It's... personal.”

“Have I ever turned you down?”

Jack set his wine aside and looked at him. “Did you look for me?”

He didn't need to explain. Gabe's eyes narrowed. He looked away. “Wanted to. Couldn't.” His shoulders and back tensed up. “Broke pretty much everything. Didn't see where you landed... if you landed.”

“Not during the blast,” Jack said quietly. “After.”

“Didn't have to. They had a big funeral in your honor. Big casket, even bigger holograms of you. Laid you to rest in Arlington with all the heros of the past. Didn't find out until years later that big casket was empty.” To his own ears, his voice was clipped and harsh. He didn't like this... but like he told Jack, when had he ever turned him down? “By then, Swiss HQ was buried deeper than that empty casket. Even if I could find you....”

“I tired,” Jack said quietly. A rueful smile spread across his face. “I tore my hands up, put a few more gashes on myself. Thought that if I could just find some light, I'd be able to find you.” He tapped his temple. “Didn't even dawn on me until I fell into a fire that there should have been light, I should have been able to see. Never forgave myself. Always wondered if I didn't stagger right by you....”

Gabe shook his head. “We were both lucky to be alive. We should be happy with that.” As if he believed his own words. “But we're here now, alive. I'm happy with the way things are.”

Jack tilted his head to one side. “Are you?”

“It's better than the alternative.”

Jack slid across the small pool and sat beside Gabe. “What if I'm not happy with the way things are?”

“What, you don't like half and hour clandestine meetings in the dark once a month?”

“That either.” Jack slipped his hand into Gabe's. “I don't like how things are... unresolved between us. We keep dancing around it, never quite talking about it when we get close to it.”

Gabe squeezed the hand in his. “There's not much to talk about.”

“There is and you know it.”

Gabe reached up with his free hand and brushed Jack's cheek, leaving a trail of wetness across it. “You saw me, you've seen what I do.”

“You never were a looker,” Jack shot back at him. “Why does that matter?”

“It's not just that,” Gabe sighed, rolling his eyes. “Jack, you don't know what I go through.”

“Then tell me.”

He scoffed. If only it was that easy. “My body... it dissolves. It wants to. I have to hold it together. Literally.”

“So keep it together.”

“When have I ever been able to do that around you?” Gabe shot.

“Then we'll go slow so you can.”

Gabe growled, pushing Jack away. “And if I reap your life while we're making out?”

“You won't.”

“I could.”

“But you won't.”

“You don't know that. Reaping is like ghosting, if I'm not careful, if I'm not in complete control of myself—”

“Gabe you haven't even—”

“No, Jack,” he said. “I'm not taking the chance. You're closer than I'm comfortable with already.”

“And what about me?”

Gabe looked away. “You should find someone you'll be safe with.” He dug his nails into his thigh to try and distract himself. He'd give anything to have Jack alive. And if that meant he couldn't have him, so be it.

Callused fingers slipped under his chin and brought his face back. Jack's expression was resolute, but his eyes were gentle, understanding. “I don't want safe. I want you.”

“I couldn't live with myself,” Gabe whispered. “Not if I hurt you again. If I stole your life again.”

“You won't.”

Before Gabe could do anything, Jack had leaned in, pressing their lips together. God it felt so right. His lips parted against his will, letting Jack in. The old soldier's palms cupped his cheeks, his fingers resting lightly on his face. Their chests touched. Jack's thigh slid along Gabe's. Gabe's hand traced along it, up to the supple hip and over to the rock hard backside. Jack moaned into his mouth, his knee sliding between Gabe's legs. Ash crept up Gabe's throat. He pulled away from Jack's lips. Jack sighed, a thin trindle of smoke escaping his mouth.

“God damn it Morrison!” Gabe shoved Jack off of him, dumping him into the water. Gabe got to his feet and pulled himself out.

Jack surfaced, less than gracefully spitting out a mouthful of water. “What was that for?”

“We're not kids anymore!” Gabe hissed, keeping his voice low even though he wanted to scream. Smoke leaked out of his mouth and he clamped his teeth shut.

“I noticed,” Jack said, coming toward him. “Its called kissing. Something adults do.”

“You don't understand.” Gabe growled through grit teeth. “Just... stay away from me!” He left, stalking toward the ocean.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to my beta readers Kaijuspotch and Alifree!  
> And for help with Spanish by Mishaisnotthatfuunyjensen

Why did Jack have to be so damn stubborn? This wasn't fighting about missions, or tactics. This was his life. If Gabe relaxed, let his guard down.... Sand squished under his feet and the rolling of surf joined with his tumultuous thoughts. He paced along the ocean, feeling Jack's hands on his face, the knee sliding between his legs, the lips on his. Clenching his fists, he hammered those thoughts down, deep down before his body could respond.

He paced for a while, until he'd mastered himself and calmed down. Warm water lapped against his feet, receding and then came back. How long had it been since he stood on the beach? Not since he was young. He wiggled his toes, letting the wet sand squish between them. Back in the day, he'd loved trips to the beach. He missed the surf, the sun. God he missed the sun. But there were no shadows on the beach, nothing to hide in. And fucking hell Kevlar didn't breathe.

“You're an asshole, I hope you know that,” Jack called behind him.

Gabe looked over his shoulder. Jack was slowly working his way onto the beach, hands held slightly in front of him.

“You leave a nearly blind guy to wander in the dark alone? That's downright cruel.”

“I told you to stay away from me.”

“When have I ever been able to do that?”

Gabe couldn't leave him like that. The idiot should’ve got his visor if he was going to chase after him. He went back, taking Jack by the elbow. “You can't see a foot in front of your face and you plunge headfirst into the dark. Are you trying to get killed?”

“Figured if I fell you'd catch me.” Jack smiled that smile that meant he thought he was right.

“Shut up,” Gabe grumbled. He lead them to a cabana on the beach. It had a couch, lounge chairs, T.V., everything a idiot thought they needed on a beach. Sand, surf, and the wind was all Gabe wanted.

He eased Jack down onto the couch. “There's no lights on the damn sand. Even if there was, we couldn't turn them on. Why the hell would you come out here if it was going to make you completely blind?”

“Because you were out there,” Jack said, “and you needed me.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “I needed to be alone.”

“I think we've both had enough of that for a lifetime.”

Finally, Gabe let himself down on the couch. He rubbed his face. “I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Estúpido.”

Jack put a hand on his back, not flinching or hesitating at the ashen flesh. “Talk to me,” he said. “I'm listening.”

Gabe interlaced his fingers and settled his elbows on his knees. God he was bad at talking. Nothing but mission parameters came out right. “Look,” he began. “I _have_ to focus. If my mind wanders, if my attention is elsewhere, I ghost.”

Jack said nothing, just kept his eyes on him.

“Getting... intimate with you, that's asking for trouble. If I lose focus, lose control I don't know what will happen. Maybe I'll just ghost and ruin the moment. But it could be worse.” He could reach to touch Jack and his hand would pass through him. Perhaps the smoke that rolled out his mouth would burn Jack's lungs and he'd die in agony. Maybe he would open his eyes and find himself kissing a reaped corpse, gray skin flaking off in the sea breeze. There were too many things that could go wrong. He wasn't about to risk everything. “I can't.”

Jack slid his hand down to Gabe's waist, pulling him to his side. “We'll figure it out. Together.”

Gabe tucked his face into the hollow of Jack's neck. Despite the cool wind, his skin still simmered with heat. Glistening beads of water slowly trickled down his chest. Gabe followed one with his eyes as it trickled along the exposed neck, over his collarbone and down his chest out of sight. Having something to focus on helped him keep his body together when all he wanted to do was rewind the clock and go back to Jack in his lap and let things play out differently.

“We'll take things slow,” Jack said, resting his head on Gabe's. “Work on it.”

“When am I going to beat the optimism out of you?”

“You can't. I'm too stubborn.” He tipped Gabe's face up. “Do you remember how we got together in the first place?”

“That's a stupid question.”

“Do you remember or have you gone senile?"

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Of course I do. You were an annoying little shit that attached yourself to me.”

“And when I asked you out?”

“I said no.”

“And did I take that for an answer?”

“No.” Jack never did. 'No' just made him work harder, find new ways to get what he wanted.

“So what makes you think I've changed now?” Jack tipped Gabe's chin up and kissed him again.

Nothing had changed. Jack was still forever optimistic. Gabe hated it, it was infectious. He leaned into the kiss. Maybe with time, they would figure something out. Until then, he'd have to be careful. But a kiss couldn't do too much harm.

Jack's fingers caressed his face, tracing the deep scars without lingering too long, caressing the hollows of his cheek, thumb running over his lips between kisses. “You haven’t changed as much as you think,” he said

Gabe put a hand over Jack's. “You've only seen me on good days.”

“Coincidence, or by design?”

“Both.” And he was going to keep it that way.

Jack smiled. “I know what you're thinking, and you can't keep it from me forever. I want your bad days as much as the good. Besides,” he leaned in, lips just a breath away. “I never liked pretty boys anyways.”

“You always were jealous that I was hotter than you, pretty boy,” Gabe growled, pushing Jack's face away.

“In your dreams.” Jack pulled them down onto the couch.

Like a well remembered path, Gabe tucked himself against the other. Jack curled into him; forehead against his cheek, shoulder nestled against his. It felt good, familiar. How many nights had they spent like this over the years? When training got too intense, or they'd lost another teammember? When the troubles of the world just got to be too much. Gabe curled his fingers around Jack's hip. Super Soldiers were strong, but they were only human. And right now, Gabe wanted to feel human again. Jack's warmth kept the chill at bay, his fingers idly ran through his hair. If Gabe closed his eyes, he could convince himself the last thirty years were a dream.

How long they lay there not speaking, Gabe didn't know. The waning moon was reaching it's zenith when strains of a Spanish guitar drifted over the rolling of the waves. Gabe strained to hear the rhythm. The resort had a thing going on tonight with a band apparently. The cords struck a memory. His sisters used to sing this song all the time when they’d been alive.

  
  


_Una historia sin tiempo_

_Que no tiene fin_

_Un amor como el nuestro_

_No, ni nunca podrá morir_

  


Jack shifted in his arms, turning to look at him with those damaged blue eyes that make him ache. The pink tinge to his cheeks stood out against his pale skin. Gabe leaned forward, lowering his voice to an appropriate lover’s tone.  
  


_Quiero ser en tu alma_

_Un momento feliz_

_Te amaré por siempre_

_Viviré dentro de ti_

  


“What are you singing?”

“A sappy old love song,” Gabe said.

Jack positively shuddered in his arms. He’d always got all… flustered when Gabe spoke Spanish at him. It didn’t matter if it was a string of insults or dirty talk. A blush had always crept up to color his cheeks. Gabe had to wonder if Jack knew anything about it… or if he had plenty of other things to think about instead. The guitar whispered through the air, accompanying Gabe’s voice. Gently, he ran his blunt fingertips down Jack’s naked back, letting his fingers catch on and trace the countless blast scars. Jack’s hands grabbed Gabe’s shoulders as he tilted his head down, listening with rapt attention.

  


_En los días de dolor_

_Siente mi amor_

_Que vendrá con el viento,_

_Que vendrá con el sol_

_En los ojos de Dios,_

_Lejos de ti_

_Me verás en sueños,_

_Sentirás mis besos._

_Me oirás reír_

  


The guitar continued on a solo as Jack sucked in a breath, the blush spreading from his cheeks down his neck. God, he was so pale even his shoulders looked a little pink. It was too tempting.  Gabe leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the white collarbone as the melody floated on the air. Jack moaned, his fingers digging in. Slowly, Gabe ran a hand up Jack’s thigh. He kissed up the collarbone to the exposed neck. Shuddering, Jack twisted around, straddling Gabe’s lap. God yes! His hand went back up the scared back until his fingers were buried in the bone-white hair.

The Spanish guitar was joined by an electric one. The duet made Gabe’s blood race. He tilted his head up and caught Jack’s gasping lips with his own. Jack’s mouth opened and Gabe slipped inside. No more chaste kisses. The night was too warm, the music too good, the _sangria_ too strong for caution. Every part of him ached for warmth.

The guitars escalated, acoustic and electric, filling the night. A hand appeared on his cheek, holding on to him, caressing him, letting Jack ‘see’ him. Gabe curled his fingers in the thick hair as their tongues rolled over one another, finding places long forgotten, but swiftly remembered. His back arched. Jack leaned down, his nails scraping down the ashen flesh.

Quietly, the guitars slowed, leaving a soft void in the night. Gabe pulled away just enough to get his lips back. They were both panting. He rested his forehead against Jack’s cheek.

  


_Si te sientes solo_

_Y estás en silencio._

_Piensa en mis caricias_

_Y en nuestros secretos_

  


He wasn’t singing to him anymore. Fuck being sappy. He was singing for him. It was if the song had been made for this moment. He ran his hand down Jack’s cheek, fingertips brushing his lips.  


 

_Quiero ser en tu alma_

_Un momento feliz_

_Te amaré por siempre,_

_Viviré dentro de ti_

  


In a swell, the guitars returned. Gabe opened his mouth to sing the final chorus, but his lips suddenly found themselves occupied. The electric guitar howled mournfully while the Spanish plucked away fast. Gabe’s heart hammered in time as Jack pulled him deeper into the kiss. He was swimming in heat and saliva and he didn’t want it to stop. Slow be damned! He closed his eyes, reaching his hands up to hook his nails in Jack’s shoulder blades.

The rest was blurry.

He didn’t remember—nor care—for anything other than the man held against him. They rolled, all arms and legs, hands grasping desperately for any hold. The moonlight glittered on Jack’s skin, turning it silver. The rolling of the surf murmured in his ears, sand shifted under his back. Stars haloed Jack’s head and shoulders as he reared back, polished platinum hair ruffled in the breeze.

“ _Oh Dios_ ,” Gabe moaned as he drank in the sight of the finally scrupled body above him.

Jack rolled his hips in time with the waves, tremors rocking his body. “ _Si, Gabriel,_ ” he gasped. “ _Mas por favor!_ ”

Holy crap! Gabe couldn’t control the growl that tore out of his throat. He grabbed Jack’s hips, nails biting into hot flesh. Jack speaking Spanish was one thing, but Spanish now was an entirely different beast! “¿Qué dijiste?” he rumbled, wanting to hear it again.

Jack glared down at him, his lips slightly parted, his blue eyes flashing in the dim starlight. _“Hazme el amor.”_

Gabe shook down to his core. His fingers clenched tighter, his cock throbbed.

Jack leaned down, putting his hands on either side of Gabe’s head. His lips fluttered against Gabe’s. “ _Por favor. Por favor, Gabriel hazme el amor._ ”

Gabe pulled Jack’s weight down to the side, rolling them. Jack hissed, fighting back, trying to keep them rolling so he could stay on top. Gabe grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the sand. Jack tried to head-butt him but Gabe leaned away, shoving a knee between his legs. Jack struggled, hissing curses in Spanish and English, teeth bared. Quickly, Gabe leaned in. He avoided a bite—that he did probably deserve—and pressed a kiss to Jack’s waiting lips. The other’s hands escaped and grasped his back, nails cutting into his shoulder blades. 

Gabe melted against Jack, tasting his mouth, his lips, feeling the heat under him. Everything he’d missed for so long. Sensing the shift, Jack’s fingers relented, his kiss softened, matching Gabe’s gentleness.

In their youth, sex was something taken, something stolen whenever they could, like shots of liquor. It tended to be rough, messy, heart pounding. Not that either of them minded. But now…. Gabe trailed his fingers down Jack’s chest, mapping the new scars, memorizing the terrain of his muscles. Now it was like fine wine. Something to be savored, something to be drawn out and enjoyed to the fullest. There was no rush now.

Jack moaned when the blunt fingers reached his abdomen. His fingers curled into claws again, one leg hooked up over Gabe’s hip, heel digging into the small of his back. “ _Gabriel,_ ” he whispered.

“ _Mi amor,_ ” Gabe whispered back, lips ghosting along Jack’s cheek as his touch dipped lower. He wrapped his fingers around Jack’s length, stroking him with feather light touches.

Jack positively whimpered. His back arched, thrusting into the contact. His cock brushed against Gabe’s belly.

It was his turn to moan, hips thrusting, pressing against Jack. “Wait,” Gabe gasped, “I can't. If I  lose—”

“All these years is waiting long enough,” Jack growled against his ear. He bit down on Gabe’s earlobe, rolling the stud earring around with his tongue. “We'll figure it out.”

“Fuck,” Gabe moaned. “You’re not even ready!”

“Make me,” Jack snarled. “Then take me.”

Who could deny an order like that? “Yes, Commander Morrison, Sir,” Gabe said in a husky purr.

Jack scoffed, but his voice cracked and it sounded more embarrassed than offended. Gabe smiled. What an idiot he'd been. They could have been playing with that title for years. He wet his fingers with his tongue and slowly eased them inside. Jack's head fell back as he moaned, fingers clawing at Gabe's back. It was a beautiful sight. He took his time, wetting his fingers, stretching, massaging the blood engorged erection that begged for attention.

“ _¿Se siente bien_ _?_ ” he asked.

“ _Si!_ ” Jack gasped, his hips bucking back against the fingers. “Más!”

“Shh,” Gabe chidded, scissoring his fingers and drawing out a strangled moan. _“_ _En un momento_ _.”_

 _“Gabriel!”_ Jack snapped. _“Quiero_ _más_ _!”_

Chuckling, Gabe slipped a third finger inside his eager lover. _“Pronto.”_

_“Ahora!”_

A moan escaped him before he could stop it. God damn! Jack's spanish went straight to his dick. Like he was reading his mind, Jack's fingers appeared on his throbbing head. His thumb swept over the wet slit and Gabe had to catch himself from bucking into the feeling.

 _“Estas dast duro,_ ” Jack said, smiling.

 _“Me haces,_ ” he grunted back.

Jack pressed an elbow to the sand and lifted himself up, pressing their lips together. _“Me vuelves loco,”_ he growled.

Gabe shuttered as Jack's tongue caressed the words. He wanted it caressing his. _“_ _Bésame_ _.”_

Jack kissed him, hands circled around his neck, pulling him down to the sand. Gabe put one hand by Jack's shoulder, and used the other the guide himself to the hot entrance. He pressed against it and slid inside. They moaned in unison.

Fuck Jack was tight. Tighter than he remembered. “Have you really not had anyone?” Gabe asked while he savored the feeling of Jack's ass clenching around him.

Jack's nails slashed down his shoulders, leaving red on the gray skin. “F-Fuck off,” he managed to grunt. “I was broken up over you.”

Gabe shifted his hips forward, easing in deeper. God it felt so good. He bit his lip, trying to keep himself together, but it was hard to focus when Jack was under him.

“Besides, after you, no one could get me off anyway. I need a big, strong super soldier.”

Gabe rumbled, shifting again. “You always know the right thing to say.” He rolled his hips forward, bottoming out.

Jack's nails dug into his arms.

Gabe put his other hand up by Jack's shoulder. _“Listo?”_

Jack nodded, his knees pressing against his hips. Gabe rolled his hips, pressing his swollen head against Jack's prostate. The knees against his hips tightened, the toes on his calves spread in pleasure.

A moan was all Jack said as he arched his back. Gabe leaned down, huffing as he rolled again. Jack's body rolled with him. Jack pawed at his back, growling.

 _“M_ _á_ _s fuerte!”_ he demanded.

Gabe complied with a gunt, snapping his hips, burying himself deep inside the hot body. Jack whinned in pleasure, knees crushing Gabe's hips.

 _“M_ _á_ _s!_ ”

Gabe tucked his face against Jack's neck as he thrust in earnest. Over and over, he bucked, pressure building in his gut, like a loaded shotgun. Jack rode him hard, pushing back, nails biting, knees and legs urging Gabe on like he was a rutting stallion. Gabe sank his teeth into the hot neck, sucking hard. That neck had been devoid of his hickeys for too long. Jack gasped, moaned, down-right writhed under him.

 _“Eres muy sexy,”_ Gabe rumbled. He pressed his lips to Jack’s ear. “I’m never letting you go again. _Eres_ _mío_ _, Morrison._ _Mío_ _.”_

Jack sucked in a breath, his face flushed with pleasure, those sea-blue eyes half-closed. “Mmm! _Soy tuyo_ _!_ ”

Gabe shivered with pleasure. He plunged into Jack, snapping his hips forward with reckless abandon.

Jack’s nails clawed for purchase along his shoulders, his heels dug into the small of Gabe’s back. _“Si! Te necesito!”_ he moaned into Gabe’s throat. _“Si! Si! Si!”_

Gabe grunted, he felt himself shift, become lighter than air, but Jack’s nails hooked into him like talons, holding him down. Wet heat blossomed against his stomach.

 _“Oh si Dois! Gabriel!”_ Jack shouted against his neck. _“Gabriel!”_

His name had never sounded so fucking good. Gabe thrust through the echo's of Jack's orgasm until his own hit him like the recoil of a shotgun. Every thought was blown away as his world narrowed to the feeling of Jack around him and the hot, rapid breath on his neck. Moaning, he pumped through the aftershocks. If he spoke or thought, he had no idea. The next clear thing was gasping atop Jack, resting on his elbows. He wavered, not sure if he was man or shadow.

“Are you alive?” he rasped.

Jack let out a laugh. “You're good, Reyes, but you're not that good.”

With an effort, he pushed himself up and inspected Jack. He ran his hand over the blush-tinged face, down his neck to feel for a pulse. Strong and rapid. The ivory skin didn't look even a shade gray. Gabe let out a sigh of relief, dropping back down to his elbows. “Thank God.”

Gentle fingers brushed through his hair. “You okay?”

“Hmm.” He wasn't sure. He felt good, like he'd just reaped, and that worried him.

“Fall asleep on me and I'll kill you,” Jack said with no real bite to his words.

“Thinking,” Gabe muttered, catching his breath. “You sure you're fine?”

“I still have a soul, if that's what you're wondering."

“Did I ghost at all?”

Jack hummed. “No. But then....”

“Then what?"

“At the end, I could have sworn I could see, like when you take me with you.”

“Probably just a memory,” Gabe grunted.

“Hmm, probably.” Jack tailed his fingertips down Gabe's face. “Is that a smile I feel?”

“No,” Gabe said, tilting his head and kissing the searching fingers. “I'm pissed. We were supposed to take this slow.”

“I'm sorry, who started singing love songs?”

“It was one. And you started the kissing.”

Jack leaned up, nibbling on Gabe's lower lip. “Someone had to. Now are you gunna let me up? Or are we going to be stuck together all night?”

“I don't remember you being so cranky post-sex.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “You don't have sand jammed in places you didn't know you had.”

Gabe laughed, kissing his lover. “Come on. There's a shower in the suite.”

Jack's eyebrows lifted. “Is there now?”

“Don't,” Gabe warned. “You'll throw your back out going twice in one night.” Finally, he pulled out. His legs were shaky, but when he stood they didn't give out. He reached down and offered Jack a hand.

“Yeah well you're liable to pop a hip if we did it again anyways.” Jack took the offered help and got to his feet.

“Can you walk?”

Jack shot him a glare that was more mischievous than angry. “Takes more than a little pounding to make me limp.”

Gabe put his arm around Jack's waist. “I could get you a cane if you want.”

Jack punched his arm. “I'll beat you to death with it.” He leaned against the arm he just punched. “Shower. I want to get this sandcastle out of my crack.”

Chuckling, Gabe let Jack lean on him as they walked back to the suite. They left the glasses and bottles, too tired to finish the rest.  


As tempting as it was to join him, Gabe let Jack shower in peace. He cleaned up as best he could in the sink. Something in the mirror caught his attention. He tilted his head to one side and examined the bite mark on his neck. His ashen skin didn't bruise like it used to, but the gray looked darker, maybe a little blue-black. He smiled. Jack was still young at heart. His fingers went to his shoulders, lightly touching the nail marks. No doubt his back looked worse. Good.

The water turned off and Gabe turned his head to watch Jack step out of the shower. His ivory skin glistened with water, trickling down over countless scars and disfiguring burns. Gabe had never seen anything sexier.

Jack cast a longing look back at the shower. “I could've got used to all that elbow room.”

“Not used to being clean anymore, _guapo?_ ”

Jack gestured to the blistered, bubbled skin along his side. “Not very _guapo_ anymore.”

“You always did have a high opinion of yourself,” Gabe said. “You needed a few imperfections, _chico de oro_.” He smiled. “You're still hot to me.”

Jack snorted, toweling his hair dry and then chucking it at him. “You just wanna get laid.”

“True,” Gabe said, letting the towel fall on his shoulder. “But you're also hot as _el sol.”_

“Right back at you.” Jack smiled, that tired, post-sex smile that drove Gabe crazy. _ “Tienes un magnifico cuerpo.” _

“Look at you knowing all the sexy Spanish,” Gabe said, leaving the sink and going to Jack. “I'm getting jealous of whoever got to teach you.”

Jack smiled, pointing to the hickies on his neck. “You said it often enough that I picked up on it. I can learn even when your dick is up my ass.”

Gabe leaned down and kissed the marks he'd left behind. “Sexy and smart.”

Jack tilted his head away so Gabe could continue. “I should check on the decryption,” he said as Gabe nuzzled and licked his neck, hands pawing at his ass.

“In the morning,” Gabe growled. “You're mine tonight.”

“Don't pop a hip out,” Jack teased, his hands caressing them. “They are far too sexy to have something bad happen to them.”

“Don't break your back,” Gabe snapped back. “You're going to be on it a lot.”  


Somehow, they found their way into the master bedroom. They fell into the king-sized bed. Despite plenty of kissing and grab-ass, they settled down. Gabe laid his head in the nape of Jack's neck, wrapping his arm around the big, barrel chest. Jack put one hand behind his head, and draped the other down Gabe's back.

Jack's breath evened out as he tucked his nose into Gabe's hair. Gabe inhaled, letting his breath out slow. He hadn't slept in ages. Not since becoming Reaper. Not since he'd become a weapon. But now, curled in Jack's embrace, he felt like a man. Sleep tugged at his eyelids.

“Good night,” Jack mumbled into Gabe's forehead.

Gabe gave him a noncommittal grunt and closed his eyes.  
  
  


The rattle of gunfire started him awake. Decades of training took over. Gabe crouched over the man beneath him, shielding him as his gaze darted around, looking for the angle of attack.

“Your eight o'clock, not even a quarter klick out,” Jack whispered below him.

Talon. Gabe growled. Fuck. They were naked, armor and weapons scattered. Shit! The hacking device was still in the main room. “Stay here,” Gabe said.

Jack grabbed his arm, head cocked, listening. “Three approaching the door,” he whispered.

Gabe leaned in, kissing him. “Back in a moment.” He ghosted, streaking along the floor, through the gap under the door and down the dark hall. There was more gunfire from the neighboring bungalow to the right. They were doing door to door sweeps. Shit. He materialized and pressed his back to the wall, just out of reach of the doors. A second later, they where kicked in.

A familiar Talon gun barrel swept the room before the man behind it rushed in, with the next right on his six. Gabe waited for the third to clear the doorway. He sprang. His hands were around the man's neck before his victim even knew he was in danger. The brittle neck bone snapped between Gabe's enhanced hands like a matchstick.

Gabe relieved the body of its rifle as it slumped to the floor. The other two turned, laser sights turning his chest red. He pulled the trigger on the rifle, sending a random spray at them as he dove behind a couch. Bullets ripped up the wall behind him and the floor exploded in a hail of destruction. He dropped the rifle, got his hands under the couch and hurled it. The lead soldier dove out of the way. The second dropped to the floor, pinned. Gabe lunged over the couch as the rifle barrel swung his way. He grabbed it, forcing it down. Bullets chewed up the hardwood into splinters. Gabe backhanded the soldier, taring the gun out of his hands. The other wasn't done yet. Disarmed, he pulled a combat knife from his belt and charged.

Normally, knifes didn't bother Gabe. His armor could blunt most of them, and no one was suicidal enough to get in his shotgun's range. But as it grazed his naked arm, he was reminded he didn't have his armor or his guns. Wonder-fucking-ful. He side stepped, getting out of range. The knife came back, whistling through the air. It wasn't hard to get away from it. It was child's play to Gabe and his heightened reflexes. It was the getting used to unarmed combat again that had him slow. It'd been ages since anyone had caught him with his figurative pants down. Now it was literal. Gabe blocked, sending the swing wide. It was coming back. Just like riding a bicycle. Next time the flash of steel came at him, he snapped into action. With one deft move, he caught the wrist and wrenched it out of its socket.

The soldier screamed, knife dropping from his limp hand. Gabe caught it, flipped his grip and plunged it into the exposed throat. The scream cut off into a wet gurgle as the man clutched at the hilt as he fell back. A cold barrel jabbed into the back of Gabe's neck.

“Don't move!”

Gabe tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck.

“Hands on your head or I blow your brains out!”

Couch surfing goon. Gabe growled. He couldn't afford to be seen ghosting. Talon couldn't know he was here. He was in the middle of calculating how fast he could materialize behind his target before he could say something incriminating into the radio when there was a blast. Something made a squelching noise behind him and a body thumped to the floor.

He looked over his shoulder. Soldier three lay on the ground, most of his head splattered against the wall. Gabe turned to where the shot had come from.

Jack stood on the far side of the room, his stupidly large pulse rifle smoking.

“Nice shot, babe. How'd you know you weren't going to shoot me?”

Jack lifted the rifle barrel, tucking the butt against his scarred hip. “I'm blind, not deaf.”

Gabe grinned. There was nothing sexier than Jack naked with a gun. Too bad he didn't have time to admire him more. “Clothes.”

“Encryption.” Jack hurried across the room to the computer terminal. He put his rifle aside and tapped rapidly at the keys.

Gabe rolled his eyes as he went to collect his pile of armor. Everything was where he left it. More gunfire outside. And now there was screaming. Shit. “Move that fine ass of yours we have to EVAC.”

“Watch my ass all you want I'm not leaving before this thing is safely disconnected.”

“Just grab it and go!”

“Be useful and cover the door.”

Gabe slung his coat over his shoulder and tucked his boots under his arm. He grabbed Jack around the waist and pulled him to his chest. “God I hate you.”

Jack pressed their lips together. “Love you too.”

The computer bleeped and Jack pulled out the hacking device. “See? Not even enough time for you to get hard.”

“Don't underestimate what your ass does to me,” Gabe growled.

“And here I thought it was my personality you were in love with.”

They broke apart, Jack scooping up his rifle, Gabe slinging his ammo belt over his shoulders. Jack took point, Gabe following. They cleared the French doors.

Outside, dawn was just a small yellow ribbon hovering in the east. Gabe fumbled a shotgun out of its holster, covering Jack as he dropped to a knee, retrieving his discarded personal effects.

“Fuck!”

“Here? Now?” Gabe asked, coyly. “Well alright.”

“Where the hell did my pants go?” Jack said, ignoring him.

Fucking hell, when had Jack ditched the pants? Shit, he didn't remember much before sex, mostly just during....“Get new ones."

“My visor is in them!”

“Fucking hell!”

“If someone hadn't made me strip for _sangria_ , we wouldn't in this mess.”

“I regret nothing,” Gabe snapped, “and I'll take a bullet for that decision.” He played back the night. Jacket-poolside, mask-chiar, shirt-pool maybe? boots-hot tub— “Hot tub.” He said, waving the barrel of his gun in the general direction.

Jack ran back as more gunfire ripped through the air, far to close. An alarm started blaring, tearing at Gabe's ears until he wanted to shoot it. The french doors banged open and two more talon soldiers stepped through.

“Hey! Stop right—”

Gabe pulled the trigger. The shot gun roared like a lion in the morning air. His chest absorbed the recoil as his arm snapped up. One of soldiers vanished back through the doors in a hail of red. The other opened fire. Damn it all he didn't have his second shot gun out! He ducked behind a potted palm, cursing getting caught with his ass out.

The heavy fire of the pulse rifle silenced the second gunman. Jack popped up from behind cover—pants around his shoulder, visor on—and jogged back to to Gabe. “Let's move.”

They hit the beach and found dozens of panicked civilians.

“There sitting ducks out here,” Jack growled.

“Too bad,” Gabe said, putting his hand on Jack's bare ass. “We gotta go. Now.”

Masked Talon soldiers flooded onto the beach. Before the first shot was even fired, the mob of civilians was screaming and running like a panicked herd of cattle. Jack smacked Gabe's hand off him and grabbed his wrist, pulling him into a run.

“Damn it, Reyes! Only you would bring me to a fucking resort for the night and have us leave in a gun fight!”

Gabe grinned, feeling thirty years younger. “Wanted to keep you on your toes.” Sand, surf, panicking civilians. He'd call that a pretty good date. “Could be worse,” he yelled as someone ran into him and bounced off back into the crowd.

“Really?” Jack scoffed over his shoulder.

“We could be having to do a shit-ton of after-action paperwork.”

Jack made an abrupt right turn, dragging Gabe with him off the beach into the encroaching jungle. The cover and shadows make Gabe relax now that he wasn't completely exposed. Jack dumped his stuff on the ground.

“I'm going back,” he said pulling on his under armor. “They're slaughtering civis.”

Gabe grabbed his hand and stopped him. “They can't know I'm here. I can't help you.”

“When have I ever needed your help on a mission?” Jack scoffed, pulling his hand back and buckling the armor back in place.

Just once, Gabe wished Jack would ask for help. Stubborn old fool. “You're going to get yourself killed.”

“By a bunch of Talon punks?” He pulled on his pants, covering that fine ass. “I left more dead last night hacking their system then they sent to hunt me down.”

“You had someone watching your ass last night,” Gabe said.

“I've got someone watching my ass now,” Jack shot back.

Guilty as charged. “You know what I meant.”

Jack pulled on his combat boots, slamming the latches into place. “I know.” He stood, tugging his leather jacket on, then his gloves. He looked at Gabe for a moment, then handed him the hacking device. “I can't get caught with it on me.”

“I can't either,” Gabe said, taking it.

Jack slipped the mask off. “Come back with me,” he said.

“I can't. Talon—”

“Fuck Talon!” Jack snapped, his sea-blue eyes boring into Gabe's. “Come _home_ with me.”

“Why, Soldier, how forward of you.”

Jack pushed Gabe back against a tree, pressing their chests flush. “Come in out of the wind Gabe. Talon's already taken so many years from us, don't give them anymore."

“I'm not giving them anything,” Gabe hissed, his free hand cupping Jack's cheek. “I'm taking them down.”

Jack kissed his palm and nuzzled against it. Damn him.

“We could still do that if you came back with me. Be Gabriel again, not Reaper.”

“Reaper serves his purpose,” Gabe said, thumb caressing the scared lips.

Jack glared at him, but relented. “Don't make me wait too long.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.” Gabe leaned in, letting his lips flutter against Jack's. “I want to hear you scream my name again.”

Jack's glare didn't abate. “I didn't scream.”

“I beg to differ.”

Jack pushed him away. “Shut up.” He pulled him back into a kiss.

Gabe reached down and squeezed Jack's ass. “I'll cover you when I can,” he said when they broke apart.

“My guardian angel,” Jack said, clicking the mask back into place.

“You know you’re fucked when you say that to the Angel of Death.”

“Better he's on my side than against me.” Jack let his fingers tail over the bite mark on Gabe's neck before he shouldered the pulse rifle and disappeared in the foliage, heading back to the beach.

“Fucking Captain America wannabe,” Gabe grumbled. Jack was going to get himself killed playing hero. Why didn't he ever learn? Gabe slipped the Kevlar armor over his head. Jack was going to need someone watching out for him. And God be damned if Gabe was going to let him get killed when they had finally just reconnected.

Avenging Angel, Angel of Death, Guardian Angel. He'd be anything he had to. Jack was his light. He slipped the mask down over his face, checked his shot guns. Anyone that tried to extinguish that light would encounter the full weight of Heaven's wrath.

Over dramatic? Maybe a little. But it would probably get him laid when he said that to Jack.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song in the fic is Siente mi Amor and can be found on youtube (it's a beautiful song please go listen!)
> 
> A short(er) but sexy fic. With some violence and action to spice things up. I hope you all enjoined as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> If anyone was curious about Jack and Gabe's younger years, say, about the time they started SEP training... well, that LONG, LONG fic will be started in just a few days! Should anyone be interested in super solider training, or how Jack and Gabe got to be friends.... That one is nice and long, and full of happiness and the magic of friendship and most importantly NO CRYING AND EVERYONE IS HAPPY. After all these feels I had to write something happy! So I did. I hope you'll enjoy fresh-faced baby Jack and Gabe as much as grumpy old men Jack and Gabe. 
> 
> Translations (pending corrections)  
> Mas por favor- please more  
> Qué dijiste- what did you say?  
> Hazme el amor- make love to me  
> Mi amor- my love  
> Se siente bien- feel good?  
> Si- yes  
> mas- more  
> En un momento- in a moment  
> Quiero más- I want more  
> Pronto- soon  
> Ahora- now  
> Estas dast duro- you're hard  
> Me haces-you make me  
> Me vuelves loco- you make me crazy  
> Bésame- kiss me  
> Listo- ready?  
> Mas fuerte- harder  
> Eres muy sexy- you're so sexy  
> Eres mío, Morrison. Mío- You're mine, Morrison. Mine.  
> Soy tuyo- I'm yours  
> Si te necesito- yes i need you  
> guapo- handsome  
> chico de oro- golden boy  
> el sol-the sun  
> tienes un magnififico cuerpo- you have a magnificent body


End file.
